Not applicable.
Not Applicable.
This invention relates to labels, and in particular to labels attaching samples to products, for example, in a retail store.
Consumer products manufacturers typically advertise their goods on television, radio and in newspapers. Companies also often advertise the quality and advantages of their products at the point of purchase. Typically, this is done with signage and personal demonstrations. Another, effective way of advertising, is to provide shoppers with a sample of the product. Samples can by handed out or attached to related or other products made by the same manufacturer or a different manufacturer to be used after the product is purchased.
Finding a suitable means of including a sample with a product can be problematic. The samples can be tied, fastened or adhered to, or contained within, the packaging of the related product. Typically, however, special packaging is required to both contain the sample and advertise its inclusion in the purchase price of the related product. This requires special packaging to be printed, manufactured and assembled, thereby increasing the cost of the related product.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simple and inexpensive means to attach samples to the outside of products or packaging.
The present invention provides a low cost label pouch particularly well-suited for attaching a product sample to a product on display. Specifically, before use, the pouch label is supported by a release-coated liner to which a base layer of the label having an adhesive bottom surface is adhered. A pouch, defining a sealed envelope containing the sample, is supported by the base layer. An over-laminate with an adhesive bottom surface is adhered to the base layer to secure the pouch to the base layer. The pouch label can be removed from the release liner so as to attach the sample to the display item.
The width of the over-laminate is preferably less than the width of the pouch. In one form, the adhesive bottom surface of the over-laminate adheres to the base layer and the pouch. The width of the pouch is less than the width of the base layer. Additionally, the over-laminate and base layer are preferably transparent.
In a preferred form, the present invention provides a product sample display having a product and a sample label. The sample label includes a pouch containing the product sample and a pouch attachment assembly which has a base layer and an over-laminate. The base layer has an adhesive bottom adhered to a label attachment surface of the product. The over-laminate has an adhesive bottom surface adhered to the base layer on opposite sides of the pouch to secure the pouch to the base layer.
Thus, the present invention provides a simple pouch label that can be used to easily attach product samples to items, such as products on display for sale. The adhesive of the base layer stays with the base layer after it is removed from the release liner so that the label can be adhered to an item. The pouch can be removed from the label by removing the entire assembly from the product, including the base layer, or by peeling back or tearing the over-laminate without removing the base layer from the item. The label is comprised of common stock self-wound polymeric films and paper liners, and the labels can be assembled in a continuous line manner, thereby making the pouch label inexpensive to produce and able to be automatically applied. Moreover, the base layer and over-laminate are transparent so as not to cover graphics on the pouch or the item to which it is attached. Additionally, the invention provides for a product sample display in which product samples are contained in the pouch label and adhered directly to the product or product packaging.
The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In this description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which there is shown by way of illustration preferred embodiments of the invention. These embodiments do not represent the full scope of the invention. Thus, the claims should be looked to in order to ascertain the scope of the invention.